Power-wound watch or clock movement



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 77 A Y w 4/;

L; K MALVERN POWER WOUND WATCH OR CLOCK MOVEMENT Filed Sept. 5, 1929 Invezufor: Zea c2) Kjll'alvernz,

June 28, 1932.

L. K. MALVERN POWER WOUND WATCH OR CLOCK MOVEMENT Filed Sept. 5, 1929 3 Sheets- Sheet 2 lewclslfMa/lverav,

June 28, 1932. L. K. MALVERN POWER WOUND WATCH OR CLOCK MOVEMENT Filed Sept. 5, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 28, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE LEWIS K. MALVERN, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR'TO ELG-IN NATIONAL WATCH 00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS POWER-WOUND WATCH OR CLOCK MOVEMENT Application filed September 5, 1929. Serial No. 390,591.

This invention relates to improvements in power-rewinding systems for employment with spring driven movements, and is particularly adapted for power rcwound time indicators.

,er, which are adapte Many types of power operating time indicators have heretofore been proposed, most of which depend upon the periodical rewinding from a master clock, or rewinding for a definite time, or upon the intermittent automatic actuation at, frequent intervals of a relatively small spring, or upon the employment of complicated trip and control mechanisms for rewinding a more powerful spring. These meclianismsdo not lend themselves to employment with standard watch movements of types now known and for which present machinery exists so that the manufacture of thesestandard parts is both cheap and accurate. According to the present invention, however, a very simple power rewinding system is presented including the source of power for the rewinding and control mechanism governin the source of powfor employment with a standard time indicating mechanism by minor changes of the samewhich are relatively inexpensive and which do not prevent this movement from being employed as a normal time piece when removed from the power rewinding mechanism proper. The great advantage further, of employing the standard time indicating movement is that the rewindiug need not be so frequently accomplished, and according to the present invention, the movement will run for three hours or more without a rewinding operation being accomplished. This is particularly valuable for the employment of such devices as automobile clocks, where the power is derived from thestorage battery of the vehicle, since the removal. and replacement of a battery needing charge requires around a quarter or a half hour, which is a longer time than can be endured by the automatic intermittent device indicated first above: but is a much less time than is required between rewindings of the present structure.

According to the presentinvention,a rewinding mechanism is provided in which the standard time indicating movement is actuated and itself controls the operation of the rewinding device. mechanism will hereinafter be referred to as a watch movement since this is a general term in the art forsuch a device, and since a standard watch movement is employed in the illustrative example hereinafter set forth. Such a movement is provided by a way of illustration with a continuously driven member actuated by the main spring, this main spring at its other end being connected to an intermittently moving rewinding member. The continuously driven member is employed to establish a quick operation of a trip device whereby power is applied for the rewinding operation of turning the rewinding member. This rewinding operation is terminated. by the actuation from the source of power of a throw-out device which again brings the rewinding mechanism to a standstill but' also places this rewinding mechanism and the source of power in position for re-energization from the continuously driven member. In particular, the throw-out device is likewise provided for quickly disconnecting the source of power. It will thus be noted that the connecting device is actuated from a slow moving part of the watch movement itself, while the throw-out device is actuated from a power driven portion of the rowinding mechanism, so that neither device imposes any considerable load upon the main spring of the watch movement.

An illustrative form of the invention in which is employed a standard watch movement with slight modifications, and an electric motor for actuating the rewinding mechanism, is set forth on the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a diametrical sectional view through the, watch movement, rewinding mechanism and motor assembly.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view substantially online 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar transverse'sectional View on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View substantially on line H of Fig. 3.

Such a time indicating Fig. 5 is adetail View of the throw-out cams.

Fig. 6 is a similar detail view of the cougling between the rewinding shaft and the barrel arbor of the Watch movement.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the connection of the several parts.

According to the present invention, the power wound time indicator may be assembled of three standard parts, each independent of the other but contributing to produce the time indicator, as follows: (1) a standard watch movement; (2) a rewinding mechanism, and (3) a source of power, here illustrated as an electric motor. These parts may be contained within a cover or case J (Fig. 1) which engages around the ring 22 supporting the watch movement and is secured thereto by screws 22a. The ring 22 likewise has a radially extending flange 225 by which the indicator may be mounted. by way of example, on the dash D of an automobile, being held in position by the clamping bolts 220. The front of the ring 22 is provided with a threaded sleeve 22d to receive the bezel 22f of the watch case, upon which the usual crystal 229 may be mounted.

The watch movement W comprises as usual the dial 10 with indicating hands 1.1 thereon of the usual type, and is provided with the plates 12 between which is located the usual driving train, including the barrel 13 containing the main spring S and surrounding the usual barrel arbor 14. This watch movement is illustrated as being a standard 16 size movement with the stem winding and resetting or crown knob by which the main spring may be rewound and/ or the hands 11 set to standard time. The back plate 12 of this watch movement has been slightly modified by providing therein a pair of bushings 16, substantially at diametrically opposite points with respect to the barrel arbor 14 and slightly outside the watch barrel (Fig. 2), to receive the spindles 17a, 17b to which are fixedly connected the dogs 18a, 186 which normally bear against the periphery of the watch barrel during the rotation of the latter. On the rearward ends of the spindles 17a, 17?), which project through the back or top plate 12, are fixedly secured the moving trip switch fingers 19a, 195. each of which is provided with a coiled spring 200, 20?) having its other end engaged with a pin 21a, 21b

' on the frame rim 22. whereby the dogs 18a,

18?) are held in wiping contact with the periphery of the spring barrel.

A further modification of the standard watch movement is the provision of a small aperture 23 in the wall of this barrel, into which either of the dogs 18a, 18?) may drop after the barrel presents this aperture 23 beneat-l1 the respective dog. The rewinding mechanism train is contained within a housing 24 having a front plate 25, and to which the casing 22 for the watch movementis attached by screws 26. The main shaft 27 of the rewinding train is provided at its front end with a radially extending disk 27a having a clamping ring 27?) secured thereto by peripheral screws 270. A fr'ction disk 28 laving its peripheral portion engaged be tween the disk 27c and the clamping flange 27b is adapted to rotate about a stub pivot on the end of the shaft 27, under the friction maintained by the clamping engagement of the flange 27b and of disk 2. a therewith. The friction member 28 is provided with axially extending pins 28a which engage in apertures 29 in the ratchet wheel 30, whereby the rotation of the shaft 2? produces a rotation of the barrel arbor 14 of the watch movement and therewith a rewinding of the main spring S thereof. The shaft 2'7 also carries fixed thereto a large driving gear 231 moshing with a small pinion 32 fixed to a second large driving gear 33 which is directly driven by a pinion 34 mounted. on the shaft 35 of the electric motor M. The motor M may be of any desired pattern, preferably with an end structure which is secured to the casing 24 by the screws 36.

Likewise fixed on the shaft 27 are the cam members 37a, 37?), which as shown in Fig. 5 are identical in shape one with another, but have been displaced 180 with respect to one another. Each cam 37a or 37?) is provided with a driving tooth 39 adapted to engage in one of two diametrically opposite grooves in the main shaft 27, as indicated in Fig. 7, whereby the cams are fixed at a definite position with respect to one another and are carried in rotation with the shaft 27.

A pivot pin 40 mounted in the casing 24 supports loosely the two throw-out dogs 41a, 41?), which are identical in shape and construction, and are identically provided each with an insulating block 42a, 42?) to which is respectively fastened a moving circuit breaking blade 43a, 43?), adapted to be brought into and out of contact with a fixed contact bar 44 insulatedly supported in the casing Each of the throw-out dogs 41a, 41b, is also provided with a coiled spring 45 engaging the pin 46 on the frame 24 which tends constantly to bring the dog against its respective cams 37a, 376. It will be noted that the respective cam 87a or 37?) in its action upon the throw-out dog 41a or 416 causes an engagement of the respective spring blades 43a, 435 with the contact bar 44, and thereafter imparts a slight further movement to this spring blade, whereby a slight wiping of the spring blade across the contact bar 44 is occa sioned, thus producing a better contact with the bar and further employing the resiliency of the blade to assure the maintenance of the contact thus produced and. assisting the disengagement and return of the parts when the circuit is open, since by this resiliency a quicker opening is obtained than would be accomplished by the action of spring 45 alone. a v

Circuit connections are provided between the switches and motor as illustrated in Fig.

7, where the trip fingers 19a, 19b and their pivot shafts 17a, 17?) are grounded to the frame, and one motor terminal 47 is similarly grounded. The other motorterminal 48 is connected by conductor 49 to a battery 50 which has its opposite pole connected by a conductor 51. with the insulated contact bar 44 of the throw-out system. Each of the moving spring throw-out blades 43a, 43b is connected by a respective conductor 51a, 51?) with a fixed contact 52a, 52?) which is insulatedly carried by the frame rim 22 ig. 2),

being adjustable in its mount by screw-V threads so that its contact point may be adjusted to secure the proper closing of the trip fingers 19a, 19b therewith.

The manner of operation of the device is as follows: WVhen the spring S of the watch movement has been wound, the arbor. is retained in position by the engagement of a click C (Fig. 2) with the ratchet wheel 30 thereof, in the usual manner. The barrel 13 revolves continuously, at a rate which with a standard watch represents a single revolution of the barrel in, say, six hours. At the end of the first half revolution, the aperture 23 is presented beneath the trip dog 18a, and this dog is drawn inward by its spring 20a so that the trip finger 19a engages the fixed contact 52a and closes a circuit as follows:

throw-out dog 41a and forces its spring 4300 against the contact bar 44, whereby the closing of this circuit is permitted. The turning of the shaft 27 for approximately a half revolution still causes the presentation of the raised portion of the cam 37a against the throw-out dog 41a until the position is reached substantially as shown in Fig. 7.

A slight further movement of the shaft 27 and the cam 37a will be accompanied by the quick dropping of the throw-out dog 4111 from the raised portion of the cam down onto the lower portion of the cam, resulting in a quickbreaking ofthe aforesaid circuit between the contact bar 44 and the spring blade 43a whereby the motor M will be brought to a standstill.

During this movement of the shaft 27, the

cam 37]) has likewise been moved through ape proximately 180, so that now the raised portion of the cam 37?) has engaged. the throwcut dog 41b and forced its moving switch blade 43?) against thecontact bar 44. At this moment, therefore, the circuit through the.

conductor51a is interrupted at contacts 43a, 44 While the circuit through conductor-51b is interrupted at the contacts 19b52b, and the motor remains at. a standstill. 1

As-the'barrel 13 continues in its movement, it raises the trip dog 18a from the aperture 23. and continues for approximately a half revolution until the trip dog 18?) now slips quickly into this aperture and therewith quickly closes a circuit at the contacts 19b52b, which runs as follows from batter 50by conductor 51, contact bar 44, moving switch blade 43?), conductor 51b, contact 52b,.contact 19b, to the ground, and from the ground to the. motor terminal 47 through the motor M and thence from the motor terminal 48 by conductor 49 back to the battery 50. The motor again turns, and again rewinds the main spring S by a half revolution, and ultimately the cam 376 permits the quick snapping of the throw-out dog 41b to open this circuit between the contacts 44 and 431). During this movement, the cam 3760 again tentatively closes a circuit at contacts 4443a as'fiist described above ready for the definite closure of this circuit at the contacts 19a, 52a,after a further half revolution of the spring barrel. This operation continues so long as energy is supplied to the system by battery 50. I

It will thus be noted that the circuit is made in every case by a quick closure of contacts controlled by a slowly but continuously mov ing member in the watch movement, here illustrated as the spring barrel; while the re spective circuit isquickly opened at a different contact point by a cam driven from the power rewinding mechanism. It is thus pos sible to employ much larger contacts for breaking the circuit than need be employed for closing the circuit, and furthermore the circuit is opened definitely and without reli ance upon the veryslow movement of the b l't'lf P thb' 1* spring arre 1 se )y openin e lea x contacts before opening the make contacts, the make contacts themselves are preserved from any inJury by sparking, and hence may be made very small indeed so thatthere 18 very little friction exerted by their operating elements upon the spring barrel. 1

A further advantageous featureof the present construction is that a standard watch movement may be employed in a device of this category, so that a half revolution of the barrel willfproduce more than a three hour running of the watch without the actuation of the present rewinding mechanism. Further, it is possible to select this time to cover the most advantageous part of the rotational effect of the unwinding spring. It is well known that watch springs of this type have a rotational effort which varies regularly with respect to time for a portion of the unwinding period, but is irregular with respectthereto at the end of a full unwinding period as the torque then exerted drops very rapidly. By winding the watch by hand to substantially the fully wound condition, the half revolution, representing about three hours time, of the spring barrel will cause the spring to impart its energy to the watch train during the favorable first three hours, for example, of the unwinding period; while the barrel upon completing this half revolution, will present the aperture 23 beneath one of thedogs 18a or 186, and rewinding will be accomplished in the manner described above. If at the end of the initial hand winding, the aperture 23 is not beneath one of the dogs, then the first mechanical rewinding will occur following less than a half revolution of the barrel; and since the mechanical rewinding is not interrupted until a full half revolution of the shaft 27 has been accomplished, the friction members 27a-27b and 28 slip with respect to one another to prevent overwinding and breaking of the spring S or other part upon encountering the great resistance at the end of the proper rewinding period. This slippage brings the operation of the trip fingers 19a and 19?) into consonance of timed relationship with the throw-out dogs 41a, 416, so that thereafter the mechanical rewinding will be exactly initiated at the completion of a half revolution of the spring barrel.

The type of source of power employed for accomplishing the movement of the main shaft 17 is immaterial, since any source of power operable from a source of energy through two separate supply paths each having a pair of controlling devices, here illustrated by the contacts 19a-52a, 19b-52b and Ba-4:4, 43b44, to obstruct the respective path, may be employed; in which the continuously moving part of the watch movement alternately and intermittently establishes a tentative connection with the source of energy through one of the supply paths for a period of time during which the source of power is operated for rewinding, this source of power at the end of the rewinding operation serving to disconnect itself from the source of energy through the selected supply path and connect itself for energization through the other supply path. That is, the device operated by the source of power when energized serves on the one hand to interrupt the path previously established and by which the source of power is then being energized and to prepare a further path; while the device operated by the spring barrel or continuously rotating member serves to select the paths so that upon a completion of the unwinding the previously prepared path of the first selecting device is placed in communication with the source of energy and the source of power so that a further rewinding then occurs.

It is therefore obvious that many changes may be made in the constructional example here illustrated without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A power wound watch including a movement having a main spring connected between a continuously driven spring barrel and an intermittently rotated rewinding member, an electrically operated source of mechanical power to rotate the rewinding member, means to energize said source including a pair of parallel conductors constituting independent paths for the flow of electrical energy to said source and a first and a second switch in each said path to prevent the flow of energy therethrough, means actuated with said rewinding member and operated at a fraction of a revolution thereof to move said first switches so that one of said switches interrupts the path through its respective conductor to bring said source to a standstill while another said first switch prepares the path through its respective conductor, plural trip fingers spaced around the periphery of the spring barrel, circuit closing devices independently operated by respective trip fingers, said spring barrel having means to operate a respective finger at substantially a fraction of a revolution thereof corresponding to the spacing of said trip fingers, whereby a trip finger is operated by said spring barrel to close the circuit closing device to permit the flow of energy along the path through its respective conductor as previously prepared by the respective first switch and the end of the preceding rewinding operation and to open said second switch after its respective first switch has been operated to open the path through the latter.

2. A power-wound watch including a standard watch movement having a winding arbor and a spring barrel and a main spring connected therebetween, said barrel having an aperture through its wall, and electrical contact circuit closing switches mounted on said watch movement and intermittently and successively closed upon the passage of said barrel aperture opposite the same, a rewinding member an electric motor to rotate the rewinding member, disconnecting switches operated by said motor following a predetermined fractional revolution of said rewinding member, and circuits including said circuit closers and disconnecting switches to supply energy to said motor upon the closure of one of said circuit breakers until the respective circuit is opened by the corresponding disconnecting switch.

3. A power-wound watch including a standard watch movement having a winding arbor, and a spring barrel, and a main spring connected therebetween, said barrel having an. aperture through the Wall thereof, a casing to support said watch movement, trip fingers spaced substantially apart about the periphery of the barrel and fixed so that the barrel moves relatively thereto, and contact devices independently operated by said respective trip fingers, said casin supporting a source of power for moving the rewinding member and disconnecting switches operated from said source of power upon a predetermined movement of said rewinding members, and circuit connections including said switches whereby the spring barrel after substantially a half revolution of unwinding movement will provoke the closure of a circuit to energize the source of power and so that the rewinding arbor has been rotated through substantially a half revolution for rewinding at the time the source of power is disconnected.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

LEWIS K. MALVERN. 

